LOS ANGELES - The Wonderful Company, known for its dedication to harvesting health and happiness around the world through its iconic consumer brands today announced the introduction of a new produce brand, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, a naturally seedless, Non-GMO Project Verified variety of lemon that will debut this fall 2019. The Wonderful Company owns the exclusive rights to this new, premium quality seedless lemon variety available in North America.
"As the leading grower, shipper, packer, and distributor of citrus in North America, Wonderful is uniquely positioned to offer this new and innovative variety of seedless lemons," said Adam Cooper, senior vice president of marketing at The Wonderful Company. "As consumers' appetite for seedless varieties in produce continues to grow, Wonderful Seedless Lemons will disrupt the industry and become a top category driver for branded produce."
Wonderful is no stranger to the citrus category, with Wonderful Halos quickly rising through the ranks to become America's No. 1 mandarin brand in less than five years. Lemon category growth and consumer consumption for lemons is second only to mandarins, and has nearly doubled in the last five years, with even more room to grow, according to IRI data. According to a third-party study commissioned by The Wonderful Company, 83 percent of lemon buyers state they are likely to purchase a seedless lemon, and 81 percent cite the inconvenience of seeds as a key reason. Ease and efficiency were two of the top benefits of purchasing a seedless lemon stated by lemon buyers who participated in the study.
"We're encouraged that lemon buyers have expressed their willingness to pay a premium price for seedless lemons," added Cooper. "This is a game-changer for lemon buyers and will transform how they use and eat lemons in their everyday life. Wonderful has a history of bringing unique and healthy products to market by building trust and brand love with consumers through our $1 billion investment in brand building for Wonderful Pistachios, Wonderful Halos, and POM Wonderful."
The Wonderful Seedless Lemons' marketing campaign will introduce new branded packaging creating a bigger marketplace for bagged lemons, as well as eye-catching in-store point-of-sale (POS) displays to capture consumer attention while shopping. Retailers who have carried The Wonderful Company POS have experienced more than two times lift in velocity growth versus those without. Additional marketing campaign initiatives will roll out during the brand's debut this fall.
